


Students and Wild Horses

by Sefiru



Series: Hidden Sky [4]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: 2759, All the Arcobaleno are trolls, Changing Clothes, Cloud Hana, Cloudy rampages, Comfort Food, Crushes, D/s, Dreams, F/M, Fanboy Dino, Fluff, Foul Language, Humor, Italian Mafia, Kaiju, Loyalty, M/M, Mist pranks, Namimori Mafia Community, OC, OTL!Gokudera, POV Outsider, Pet Care, Pre-Slash, Reborn actually teaches, Snuggling, Sparring, Sub!Fon, Suits, Sun Kyoko, Tattoos, Training, Triads, WAFF, acorns, boss!Tsuna, letter writing, pit fighting, public bath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-10-16 06:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17544281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sefiru/pseuds/Sefiru
Summary: Tsuna and his Famiglia continue their training to become a Mafia Boss and his Guardians - and that includes a visit from another student of Reborn's. Meanwhile, Tsuna's reputation continues to spread, both within Namimori and in the wider world.





	1. Chapter 1

Enrico Santori was a tailor; not among the _best_ in Italy, but he had done a steady business. Right up until he’d gotten caught between two Mafia Families who each accused him of spying for the other. Enrico had been doing no such thing, but without a way to prove it, he had packed up his tools and fled all the way to Namimori, Japan.

Here, he _was_ among the best in his business, and kept busy providing suits to both civilians and Mafiosi. His current customers were one of each; a young Storm who was buying a suit for his boyfriend. The pair was delightfully mismatched – The Storm had a rough attitude and dressed like a delinquent, while his partner was kitten-cute, shy and fluffy. Not that Enrico would say that aloud, the way the Storm bristled whenever he got close.

“Santori, if you try anything …”

“Hayato, I’ll be fine.” His friend patted his arm. “Go pick out a necktie, would you?”

“… Right.” He wouldn’t be out of earshot; Enrico’s shop wasn’t that big.

“Right this way, young sir, and I’ll attend to the final fitting.” Enrico didn’t expect to find any flaws at this point, but it was always prudent to check. Besides, a young man with his first suit often needed guidance in such things as adjusting his suspenders properly.

“I’m surprised anyone still wears these.”

“Ah, but a belt would ruin the lines of the suit, young sir!” Enrico made sure everything was properly aligned. “Now, if you would put on the shoes, I can check that the hems are even.” Meanwhile, by the sound of it, Hayato was rummaging through every tie in the shop. Enrico was a minor Storm himself, so he could sympathise with the urge to find the best possible item. He had his young client try on the suit jacket, then take it off again so he could make some minor tweaks. Mafia-cut suits might have more room to move in, but that was no reason to get sloppy.

There was a cry of, “Aha!” and then Hayato came back with a necktie. An _orange_ necktie. Enrico’s eyebrows went up; even for flattering one’s partner, that was going a bit too far. He wondered if he should say something. “Um…”

“It matches my eyes, don’t you think?” And for a moment, it _did_ – the fluffy young man’s eyes glowed bright, tangerine orange. Sky orange. Enrico almost stabbed himself with his needle. No wonder the Storm – the Storm _Guardian_ – was so prickly. And that meant they weren’t actually lovers; thank God Enrico hadn’t said anything. The Hidden Sky – the title was more than just symbolic. He was relieved that he always did his best work, no matter _who_ he thought his client was.

“Oi.” Fingers snapping in front of his face brought him out of his daze.

“Hayato, don’t be rude.” The young Sky was putting on the tie, his brows lowered in concentration.

“Sorry, Decimo.” Hayato was more relaxed already; part of his tension must have been from keeping his Boss’s secret. Enrico didn’t know how _he_ was going to keep his mouth shut; he wanted to shout from the rooftops that Signore Inten, his Don, had been in _his_ shop, buying _his_ suits. He trimmed the thread, and wordlessly held out the suit jacket. Signore Inten slid it on and did up the buttons.

“How do I look?”

There was something about a suit that made any man stand straighter; thus dressed, there was no mistaking Signore Inten for anything but a Boss. Hayato fell on his knees at his Sky’s feet and kissed his hands. “ _Cielo mio_ , you are magnificent.”

The Don petted Hayato’s hair, and maybe they _were_ lovers, because Enrico had never seen anyone as completely besotted as this Storm Guardian. As if reading his mind, Signore Inten winked at him. Enrico paled. “A mirror, Signore,” he said, unfolding it from the wall. Was that the correct way to address a Sky? None of the Famiglias he’d done business with had had a Sky. He didn’t know the manners for this! At least Signore Inten seemed pleased with his work. He spun around, looking at his reflection, and said, “I like it.”

All that was left was to settle the bill. Signore Inten changed back into casual clothing, looking once again like an ordinary teenager; the suit was carefully folded in a garment bag over his Guardian’s shoulder. Enrico hesitated over the invoice – should he offer a discount? Absorb the cost altogether? – but the Don took it from his hand.

“Let’s keep the accounting as simple as possible, ne?”

“Of course, Signore.” What else could he say? Signore Inten authorised the payment – out of the Hidden Sky Trust, no less – and Enrico accepted the cheque with a bow. “Thank you for your patronage.”

Signore Inten smiled brightly, and scratched his neck. Out of the blue, Enrico thought that he would take a bullet for this man. Once again, he seemed to read Enrico’s mind. “Thank you, as well.” He offered his hand; rather than shake it, Enrico turned it over and kissed the back. That bit of manners, he _did_ know. For a moment, Sky Flames bathed the room, strong enough to knock the breath out of him. Then they were hidden again, in an impressive display of control. “And thanks for the suit.”

His Guardian held open the door for him. As he stepped outside he said, “Hayato, do you think we should start giving out business cards?”

“I’ll look into it, Decimo.”

…. Wait, ‘Decimo’?

*** 

Kyoko all but bounced through the door of Moko-san’s bakery. There was a group of older women at the counter, and Moko-san was entertaining them by juggling lemons. While she waited her turn, Kyoko studied the cakes in the display case; the weather was still cool, and she wanted something filling.

“Hello, Kyoko-chan,” Moko called as her other customers left.

“Hi, Moko-san. I didn’t know you could juggle.”

“It helps when I just need to _move_ , you know?” Kyoko did know; she’d felt it herself in the last few months, a bubbling energy all through her nerves that made it difficult to sit still. She knew it was the same energy that drove her brother to train constantly, and Reborn-sensei to pull pranks. And Moko-san to juggle, apparently.

The baker looked at her closely. “You’re close to going Active, aren’t you?”

“Mm-hm.” She was the only one in the Cake Appreciation Club who wasn’t Flame Active yet. “I’m lucky I know what’s going on.” She had time to get used to the idea of living outside of respectable society, and to learn why the underworld worked the way it did.

“You’re lucky to have Inten-sama looking out for you,” said Moko-san.

Kyoko smiled fondly. “I know. I’m looking for a cake to bring to our next study group meeting.”

“I have a nice fruit-and-nut loaf that might suit.” Moko-san pulled out a tray and showed it to her.

“That looks lovely,” Kyoko said, and Moko-san wrapped up the loaf for her.

“Listen, it’s a different life for kunoichi than it is for hitmen. If you need a woman’s advice on anything, I can ask around for you.”

“Thanks, Moko-san, I’ll remember that.”

As she left the bakery, Kyoko was joined by Hana, who had been sitting on a railing outside. These days Hana couldn’t stand to be in a room with more than a couple of people; school was very difficult for her. Kyoko felt a knot of concern in her stomach for her friend. 

“Hey, are you thinking gloomy thoughts?”

“A little,” Kyoko admitted. “Just thinking how not everyone is able to live a ‘normal’ life. And the trouble they might have because of that.”

Hana gave her a sideways smile. “If we can’t count on the authorities, we’ll just have to learn to protect ourselves. The police wouldn’t have done anything for Chrome.”

Kyoko nodded. It was when she met Chrome that she started to see that lawful society didn’t protect everyone, and that being a ‘good girl’ wasn’t enough to keep herself safe. “I don’t want to take my brother’s approach, though. It’s so … _crude._ ”

“Well, what do you expect from a monkey?”

“Are you coming to the study group meeting, Hana?” Kyoko had noticed that, just like Hibari-san, Hana didn’t like it when people assumed what she was going to do.

“As long as Tsuna’s there to make the other monkeys behave,” Hana said. “Also, cake.”

“An important consideration,” Kyoko said solemnly. Then she giggled. Hana was going to be all right.

They parted ways at Kyoko’s front gate, and she went inside to put the cake in the freezer. Ryohei was in the living room, doing push-ups with a concrete brick on his back. “Little sister! I’m extremely glad that you’re home!”

“Hi, Ryohei-nii.” Kyoko took out a manga and settled on the couch. Ryohei set the brick aside, stood up and stretched. He was still dressed in the ‘uniform’ which Reborn-sensei had given him months ago, which was a Rock Lee costume.

“I was extremely worried that you might run into trouble,” he announced. Kyoko’s neck itched with irritation.

“I was with Hana-chan the whole time, and I only went to the bakery. Besides, Namimori is a peaceful town.” Thanks to Yamamoto-san, and Kawahira-san, and many others who kept it that way.

“It’s a brother’s duty to protect his siblings,” Ryohei insisted.

“You would end up in the hospital again.” Or worse; that was why Kyoko could never tell him what the study group was really about. If he kept charging in fists first, he wouldn’t stand a chance against someone as skilled as Sensei or Fon. “I hate it when you get hurt, Ryohei-nii.”

“I promise to be extremely careful!” He leapt into his shoes and dashed out of the house, no doubt for more training. Kyoko rubbed her temples. Careful didn’t matter if he had no common sense! Reborn-sensei had done a little, but he was busy with Tsuna’s training; Skull, who was in town at the moment, wouldn’t care. Maybe she could ask Colonello to apply some military discipline, when it was his turn to come to Namimori.

***

The tattoo parlor was just as Fon remembered it; a narrow storefront in a Taipei alley, red-and-gold sign intricately decorated. He had gotten his dragon tattoo here, more than forty years ago; the original operator’s son was its chief artist now, and Fon himself was the owner. For the time being, at least.

A bell jingled as he pushed the door open; Lichi jumped off his shoulder to sit on the lucky-cat statue in the window. “Master Fon!” the tattoo artist greeted him. Fon had sent word of his visit, but not the purpose of it.

“Li. Have you been well?”

“Well enough, Sir. What can I do for you today?”

“I wish to have some ink done.”

Li’s eyebrows went up. “It would be my honor.” He turned to his cabinets and took out a fresh needle and Flame-stable ink. “What sort of design were you thinking of?”

Fon reached into his sleeve and removed a folded piece of paper. “These characters.” It read, in Chinese, _Property of Yin Tian._ Fon had spent two months at his Master’s side before Triad business called him away; before parting, he had begged leave to be marked with his name. Tsunayoshi had embraced him with tears in his eyes, as though _he_ was the one who had received a great gift, then he had picked up his brush and drawn these characters himself.

Li gaped at them. “How much do you _owe_ him?”

“All. And he shall have it,” Fon said simply. He was well past keeping count of debts and repayments; whatever he could give to his Master, he would. Li stared at him, perhaps looking for signs of distress.

“Should I expect the shop to change ownership, then?”

“Only on paper. I am to continue to oversee the various businesses.”

Li shook off his astonishment. “Right, then, where did you want this done?”

“Here, between the shoulders.” Fon pointed. “Also, observe.” He pressed the stud on his bracelet which returned him temporarily to adult size.

“…That will make the work go easier,” said Li. Though he was trying to hide it, he was terrified – no ordinary Boss, or even ordinary Sky, had the means to bind Fon so deeply. Tsunayoshi … was _far_ above the ordinary. Li’s thumb was on the character ‘hidden,’ as though wondering if he should ask questions about someone with that in his name. “Will the new Boss require anything specific?”

Fon reached into his sleeve again and produced a roll of orange tape. “Place a line of this across the top of your door frame. And I can tell you a little, the things that are not secret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again! This was supposed to be a bit of training montage fluff between serious arcs, but it turned into a ~15,000 word beast. Enjoy!
> 
> A shout-out to [this Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEgoThiTZG6wbTVA6B1Ksaw) for telling more than I ever thought there was to know about suits.


	2. Chapter 2

Haru trotted around her room, making sure all of her fabric and craft supplies were packed away. Everything had to be tidy. Why? Because Boss was coming to visit her. In her house! She and Chrome – because Chrome shared the room with her – had set up a folding table and floor cushions, and Chrome was making the tea. Haru thought Boss might like coffee better, but neither of them could make coffee as good as Hayato did. The teacups were all mismatched, which was Chrome’s idea; she was always bringing home an interesting one from the second-hand store or flea market.

The doorbell rang, and even without looking Haru knew who it was. “Boss!” Chrome reached the door first and pulled it open. Boss was standing there all fluffy and shy, with Reborn-sensei on his shoulder. “Hi, Haru, Chrome.”

“Come in, come in!” Haru barely gave him time to take his shoes off before she hugged him. “It’s so good to see you again!”

Boss giggled. “It’s been _one day_.” He hugged Chrome, too, and then looked over Haru’s shoulder. “Hello, Miura-san.”

Haru’s grandpapa was standing in the kitchen doorway, looking stunned. Why? Because grandpapa had heard all about Boss, but hadn’t met him before. “Greetings, Inten-sama,” he said, and bowed.

“Please, call me Tsuna … or Boss, I guess.”

Then Haru noticed something worrying. “Matteo-sensei, you’re being awfully quiet.” Reborn-sensei smirked and pulled his fedora down. Boss giggled again. 

“Let’s get started. Miura-san, could you join us, please?”

“Of course, Tsuna-sama,” said Grandpapa. “Er, may I know what this is about?”

“It’s training!” Haru said. They all sat down around the little table and Chrome poured tea. Boss relaxed and let his Flames out; Chrome made a happy little sound. Haru sighed. Even if it _had_ only been a day, Boss’s Flames were the best feeling in the whole world. Grandpapa was having trouble sitting up straight.

“We’re coming up on a new school year,” Boss said, “So I’m trying to coordinate everyone’s training schedules. I know you’re teaching Haru and Lambo about Lightning flames, Miura-san, so can you tell me about what you’ll be working on?”

Grandpapa stammered through a report on their progress, with Reborn asking for details here and there. Haru thought they were doing well enough. She had only been Flame Active for a bit more than a year, and Lambo was only six; it would take a while before either of them was as skilled as Boss, who could write kanji with his Flames and light a single candle in a handful.

“What about physical skills?” asked Reborn-sensei.

“I’m no expert myself – I can throw a punch, but not the skills a Guardian needs. Just like I can’t help Chrome-chan with more than the basics of her Flames.”

“That’s why we’re having this discussion,” said Boss. “I can find other instructors for those things.” Eh? Wasn’t that Sensei’s job? Maybe it was part of Boss’s training to be a boss? “The other thing I want to ask is, is there anything you two want to learn that you aren’t studying yet?”

“I have so many ideas!” Haru held up her notebook, which she had labelled _‘Haru’s Awesome Techniques for Cool People.’_ “I went through all of the manga I could think of and collected techniques we can copy.” She had even tried to sort them by which Flame type best fit them.

Boss flipped through the notebook. “Which one of these do you want to work on yourself?”

“This one – Iron Cloth technique!” Haru was sure it would be useful. “Oh, and Thunderpunch.”

“Isn’t that a Pokemon move?” Boss turned to Chrome, who was patiently sipping her tea. “How about you, Chrome, is there anything you’d like to study?”

“… Dancing. Ballroom dancing.” She blushed; the suggestion was a little racy. “I dislike fighting, but I would like to be more … agile.”

“A wise choice,” said Reborn-sensei. “And I can teach that myself.” Haru had a brief vision of Sensei and Chrome, twirling around a dance floor in matching suit and gown.

“I might join in those lessons,” said Boss, and Chrome blushed deeper.

*** 

Hayato turned the valve and watched as water started to flow into the repaired bathtub. The tub was sunk into the ground, tiled, and big enough for a dozen people. Once it had been part of a public bath in Kokuyo Land; now Kokuyo Land belonged to Tsuna-sama and the bath would benefit their Famiglia.

“I don’t detect any leaks,” called Shoichi from the far end. “How about you?”

“Looks good here,” said Hayato. Nearby, Hibari crouched in front of one of Kokuyo Land’s many broken windows. He took a shard of glass out of a box and set it in the window frame, then used his Flames to expand it. Hana was watching intently from a few meters away; Hibari seemed to ignore her, but his actions were slow and distinct. Hayato made sure to stay out of their line of sight; Clouds were _weird._

Slowly the water reached the top of the tub and stayed there – good, the overflow drain was working. “Ok, start the filter pump. Shoichi.”

“Activate! Mwahahaha!” The base _still_ had no electricity – that was the next project – so Shoichi had found a way to run the motor with Sun Flames. It meant making a drive shaft out of Flame-conductive alloy, but it _worked._ Hayato couldn’t wait to show Tsuna-sama the results.

Shoichi snickered at him. “I bet you’re imagining the Boss’s reaction – ”

“Yeah!”

“And him taking a bath – ”

“Huh?”

“Without his _clothes on._ ”

He was imagining it _now._ And, oh God, Japan had communal baths, which meant being _together_ with Tsuna-sama. In the bath. Without clothes. Hayato turned bright red. “Shut up!”

*** 

Hana tried to ignore the monkeys yelling at each other. Civilised behaviour was too much to expect from them, and she was determined to get this glass-expanding trick down. So far she had turned a piece of glass into several pieces of glass, a larger piece of glass the same shape, and a lumpy ball of glass. She was trying to multiply the glass in only one direction; if a bloodthirsty ape like Hibari could do it, so could she.

She focused her Flame on the next piece of glass and it turned into … an angular rod of glass. So close – just not on the axis she wanted. Hana tossed the rod aside and picked up a new shard. Then she was distracted by an acorn hitting her in the head. Looking around, she spotted Skull atop a crumbled wall.

“Oi, brats!” He chucked another acorn, this one at Hibari. That _monkey!_ He couldn’t treat civilised people that way. Hana stood up and started toward him; Hibari did the same. Skull threw another handful of acorns at them – multiplying their speed in midair – then made a taunting noise and ran into the trees.

“Loud herbivore, I will bite you to death!”

Hana growled agreement; she was going to smack some manners into that stunt-monkey if it was the _last thing she did._ And as a bonus, she might pick up some new Flame tricks before Skull got what was coming to him.

*** 

“Hieee!” Tsuna narrowly dodged the trio of irate Clouds that dropped from a rooftop into the street in front of him. He didn’t know what had set them off and he wasn’t about to stick around and ask; he dashed the last block to his destination, Takeshi hot on his heels. 

His Elements were thorough at making sure that one of them was always with him – there was a schedule and everything – and Tsuna couldn’t help but feel touched by the effort. Even if he was by himself for a moment, he couldn’t feel lonely with the nine bright threads of Harmony humming in his soul. A bell jingled as he opened the door of the antique shop. Without looking around, he knew where Kawahira was, and went straight towards the back room; Takeshi leaned against the wall in a guard position. Kawahira, too, sensed his presence before he saw him. “Good afternoon, Boss,” he said just before Tsuna pushed aside the curtain.

“Hi, Kawahira-san. I brought ramen.” Tsuna set the container down on Kawahira’s desk, carefully away from the stack of old postcards that Kawahira was sorting.

“Thank you, Boss.” The Mist formed a pair of chopsticks out of thin air and started eating while the noodles were fresh.

“How are you holding up?” Tsuna asked him.

“Better. I still have trouble remembering it’s real.” Kawahira slurped up a strand of noodles. “The food helps. I know you bring ramen because I eat it in the future, but I never ate it much before you started giving it to me.” He waved his chopsticks at the bowl. “These are a reminder of you and your kindness.”

“Hieee.” Tsuna blushed and scratched his neck. It was just a bowl of noodles, wasn’t it? “You like the taste, though, right?”

Kawahira slurped loudly. “No need to worry about that, Boss. And you? I detect that this isn’t entirely a social call.”

“Yes, well, I was hoping you could help Chrome-chan with her Mist flames.” Some skills Chrome would learn best from a teacher of her own Flame type, and that would bring Kawahira closer to the rest of his Elements.

“I would be glad to.” Kawahira smiled. “I was thinking of offering that myself.”

“Great!” And speaking of relating to his other Elements, “Has Matteo-sensei been making himself a nuisance?”

“It’s been entertaining,” Kawahira said.

Tsuna thought about some of the prank materials he’d seen Reborn preparing. “I don’t want to know, do I?”

*** 

Enrico rather liked the Momokyokai gambling hall, and not just because it was the only one in Namimori. Flame users came to the area from all over, so he didn’t stand out as a foreigner there. The drinks were cheap and the games were _mostly_ honest; he wasn’t much of a gambler, but he really needed a drink. The buzz around the bar was about a ‘three Cloud rampage’ that he was glad to have missed. He bought a beer, and then looked around for a place to sit.

“Santori, over here!” The call came from a booth against the wall, and a woman he was quite pleased to see.

“Moko-san! Good evening.” He sat down across the table from her.

“You can call me Erika, you know.”

“I don’t want to take liberties; I’m a good Catholic boy.”

“Pull the other one, it’s got bells on.” Erika took a sip of her drink. “You’ve got a bit of thousand-yard stare going on, Enrico-san. Are you all right?”

Enrico hesitated. He wanted to shout it to the world, but the first rule of Inten-sama was that you didn’t talk about Inten-sama. Erika smirked behind her glass. “I’m guessing close encounters of the Sky kind.”

“How … you too?”

She nodded. “He and his guardians are in my bakery all the time. Especially the girls.”

That was news to Enrico. “Some of his Guardians are girls?”

“Uh … maybe?”

“Admit it, you slipped.”

Erika sighed “Fine, I’ll buy the next round.” Those were the rules; supposedly, if you could get Yamamoto to let something slip, you could get your entire meal for free. No one had succeeded yet, and TakeSushi was raking in profits. “How about you, how did you run into him?”

“Buying a suit, what else?” He might end up buying a round or two, but Erika knew more than him already. Except that one thing that he had guessed, which he was not even going to _hint_ at. “I didn’t even notice until the last fitting.”

“I know. He was buying cakes for months before I found out.”

Enrico sipped his beer and wondered _why_. A Sky of their own was – no one in Namimori would lay a hand on him. Who or what had convinced him that he still needed to hide?

A waitress came up to their table. “Two more beers,” Erika told her. “And a plate of tempura, please.”

“Erika-chan, is this man making you pay for the drinks? You can do better than that, sister.”

Enrico sat up to protest, but Erika beat him to it. “I lost a bet, Sarindar, that’s all.”

“If you say so.” Sarindar pointed two fingers at her eyes, and then at Enrico, before she stalked off.

An announcement came on over the speakers, that the pit fights were starting soon. Anyone who wanted to participate should talk to the arena manager downstairs. Normally that didn’t interest Enrico, but recently he was thinking about improving his fighting skills. Just in case their Sky needed an extra pair of hands.

“You’re staring into your beer again,” said Erika.

“You know, he let me touch him?” It was part of the job, yet – there were more talented tailors in Japan that Inten-sama could have gone to. Enrico was _nobody._ Could it be enough that he was part of the Hidden Sky’s domain? “I would have been so nervous if I’d known.”

“I wonder if that’s why he does it?” Erika said thoughtfully. Enrico wrinkled his brow.

“Why would he even care? Surely he has more important business to think about. Like whatever that was with the Arcobaleno.”

Erika grinned. “One of the girls was trying to tell me it involved space aliens.”

“That’s the worst cover story I’ve ever heard; I’ve got to spread it around.”

“I know, right? … All the stories say that that’s what Skies are like. I never really believed it until I met one.”

Sarindar brought their fresh drinks and took away the empty glasses, glaring at Enrico again. He picked up his beer. “To our Sky.”

“To our Sky,” answered Erika. They clinked their glasses together and drank.

*** 

Hayato was dreaming. He was in the restored bathhouse, vague on how he had got there. Tsuna-sama was beside him, tucked against his side in the warm water; Hayato’s arm was around his waist – his _bare_ waist – and Tsuna-sama’s skin was like silk under his fingers. _This_ was heaven. Hayato buried his nose in his Sky’s fluffy hair. “Tsuna-sama …”

Tsuna-sama purred, and a slender hand stroked Hayato’s thigh. He shivered; even in dreams, his Sky’s touch was a treasure to savor. His arm tightened, the hand on his thigh crept higher …

He woke up. His pillow felt strange; he opened his eyes and was amazed to see Tsuna-sama leaning over him. Hayato’s head was in his lap, and his fingers combed through Hayato’s hair. “You were calling my name in your sleep, Hayato. Were you having a nightmare?”

“Um. The opposite, Decimo.” Hayato blushed. He was having impure thoughts about his Sky. He couldn’t help himself! He longed to serve Tsuna-sama in every way, should there be the _slightest_ chance of Tsuna-sama returning his interest. This wasn’t the first such dream he’d had.

“Good dreams, about me?” asked Tsuna-sama. “What kind of dreams?”

“We were … in the bath, Decimo.” Tsuna-sama’s lips quirked up. Was it possible …?

“The bath, alone, together?”

“Yes, Decimo.”

“ _Touching?_ ”

“Yes, Decimo.”

A speculative smile graced Tsuna-sama’s lips. “Well, how about that. That makes two of us.” He bent down and pressed a kiss on Hayato’s forehead. “Sometimes, dreams do come true.” He slipped away and out the door, leaving Hayato a blissful puddle on his blankets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is how Clouds train each other. 
> 
> Ballroom dancing is apparently considered risqué in Japan, at least according to the movie _Shall We Dance?_
> 
> Also, the Future Arc is hereby reduced to a noodle incident.


	3. Chapter 3

It turned out that everybody was shy about using the bathhouse in mixed company, so they wore bathing suits, at least for the first time. Tsuna didn’t mind – he was still shy about liking Hayato _that_ way. It was a new experience for him and he wanted to take his time. For now, he was content to lean against Hayato’s side in the Flame-warmed water, with the rest of his Elements all around him.

“Hahi, this feels amazing,” said Haru.

“Seconded,” said Reborn. He was perched in an inflatable ring, dressed in an old-fashioned bathing suit and a rubber cap. “Soon, you’ll have all of Kokuyo Land converted into a base.”

Maybe. The former mall had thirty units, and Tsuna’s Famiglia was using less than half of them. On Tsuna’s other side, Chrome slowly shifted closer until she was almost leaning on him. 

“Ahaha, maybe we can put in a basketball hoop?” said Takeshi. “Or ping-pong.”

“What, no baseball?” asked Hayato.

“There isn’t room. Besides … maa, I was going to talk about that at the meeting.”

“Now I’m curious,” said Kyoko, splashing the water idly.

“We could dry off and get started,” said Tsuna.

“Hmm, five more minutes.” 

It was more like an hour later when they all gathered around the café tables; dried, dressed and with drinks and cake at the ready. “Ahaha, do we really need to make this such a formal meeting?” asked Takeshi.

“Yes, we do,” Tsuna said. “One of the things we’ll need to know is how to act in meetings, so we might as well start now. Hibari-san has agreed to act as referee.” Hibari, sitting on the windowsill, rattled a jar of acorns meaningfully. “Are you all ready to begin?”

There was a ragged chorus of answers, and then a volley of acorns to the head for everyone except Hayato and Reborn. “The correct response is ‘Yes, Boss,’” said Hibari.

Tsuna sighed. “Let’s try that again. Are you ready to begin?”

“Yes, Boss!” they said in unison, which was kind of satisfying. Tsuna checked his notes. 

“Matteo-sensei, could you start with an overview of where we stand?”

“Yes, Boss,” said Reborn, demonstrating the proper manners to the others. “So far, you’ve all been learning mostly what your teachers have told you to learn. From now on that’s going to change; you’re moving into a world where there are no rules, and you answer to no one. You will need to decide for yourselves what you need to know and how to learn it.”

“Is that why you always want me to figure out the point of your training exercises?” asked Tsuna. If so, it was working – he didn’t need intuition to see that Reborn was easing him into more leadership roles.

“It’s one reason, Boss,” said Reborn. Great, now Tsuna was going to wonder about that all day.

“Takeshi, let’s go to you next. What’s your reasoning for suggesting basketball and ping-pong?”

“So, I – ” _Wok_. Hibari hit Takeshi with an acorn.

“Acknowledge the Boss before speaking.”

“Sorry! Yes, Boss. I got the idea from Matteo-sensei using board games for training. Basketball could be practice for moving around each other in close quarters. And ping-pong can teach speed, coordination, reading your opponent, all kinds of things.”

“Do we have enough people for basketball?” asked Tsuna; all he knew was that it was a team sport.

“There’s a version with one hoop and three people on each team.”

“All right.” Tsuna wrote down both suggestions. Basketball could be worked into group training time, and it would be easy to set up a ping-pong table somewhere in the base. “While we’re talking about physical training, I’m going to have Fon teach some of us martial arts when he gets back. That will probably be one-on-one training. On top of that, Matteo-sensei is going to teach dancing to any of us that are interested.” Tsuna was looking forward to that; he’d watched some videos and it looked like fun. “Between Fon and Matteo-sensei, we have just about every weapon and fighting style covered, and Takeshi is learning swords from his dad. Hana-san, do you have a chosen weapon?”

“Not yet.” She shot an annoyed glance at Hibari, who was rolling an acorn between his fingers. “…Boss.”

“Thank you.” Tsuna was lucky that Hana was listening to him at all; she wasn’t _his_ Cloud. “Everyone’s also covered for Flame training; Chrome, Kawahira-san is going to be helping you.”

Chrome whispered something; an acorn landed, very lightly, on her head. “Speak clearly, Small Animal.”

“Thank you, Boss.”

Tsuna gave her an approving smile; he knew how hard it was to overcome shyness. “Next thing, and this relates to what Sensei said about directing our own training – I want each of you to look through Haru’s book of techniques and pick one to work on.” He checked his notes again. “That covers all of the suggestions I collected before the meeting. Does anyone have anything new to add?” Kyoko raised her hand. “Yes, Kyoko?”

“Thank you, Boss.” Kyoko always had excellent manners. “You know how much I dislike fighting. So, Matteo-sensei, I would like to learn how to arrange things so nobody _needs_ to fight.”

Reborn’s eyes lit up. “Ah, you wish to learn the art of information control. I would be delighted to teach you.” Tsuna liked the idea too. He already did a little of that, choosing who knew what about him, and for the same reason, to protect himself and those around him.

Haru started to speak, paused, and put up her hand. (Good, they were learning.) “Haru?”

“Yes, Boss! I have just the technique for Kyoko to learn once she’s Active.” She flipped her notebook open. “Here – the Rei Gun!”

Kyoko looked at the copied manga pages. “That does look interesting …”

“Anyone else?” asked Tsuna.

Reborn put up his hand. “Yes, Boss – I have one for you. It’s time you properly met a fellow Sky.” Yuni hardly counted; they’d barely said two sentences to each other. “My previous student, Dino Cavallone, is able to take some time off the week after next, and he’s curious about you. I haven’t given him any details about you yet.”

“Thank you for that, Sensei, and I think I’d like to meet him too.” And compare Reborn-training horror stories, no doubt. “We’ll work on setting that up.”

One by one, Tsuna went over the training plans he had come up with for each of them. There were some topics, like first aid, that they would all learn together, but that had to be worked around their varied school schedules. He wanted to include Lambo and I-pin as much as possible, and to leave time for everyone to enjoy their hobbies. Which brought him to:

“Last but not least – Matteo-sensei.”

“ _You_ made _me_ a training plan?” An acorn struck Reborn’s head and rolled into the brim of his fedora; Reborn ignored it.

Tsuna grinned innocently. “You did say to make plans for _all_ of my Elements. Besides, when was the last time you learned something completely new? Or that wasn’t work-related?” He went over to the café’s back door, and took out a large metal hoop. (Kawahira had helped him order it without Reborn knowing.) “Your assignment is this: the Cyr Wheel.”

“That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

“What, is the World’s Greatest Hitman afraid of a bit of research? I think you’ll like it.” Already, Reborn was rocking the hoop on its edge curiously. Tsuna smiled and tried to remember how to formally adjourn the meeting.

*** 

TakeSushi was Tsuna’s second home, and all too often, his office; Tsuyoshi had assured him several times that he didn’t mind. While Hayato was at the last music club meeting of the term, Tsuna was tucked into the restaurant’s back room with Takeshi and Kyoko. Tsuyoshi’s assistant Taro was minding the counter; he delivered tea, snacks and Tsuna’s mail with a bow.

“I’m glad that school is almost over,” sighed Kyoko, pouring herself a cup. “Though Matteo-sensei is making up for it; he’s already loaded me with assignments.”

“Yeah, he does that,” Tsuna groaned. For once, he wasn’t dreading the upcoming exams; he’d been performing adequately in class, and he was relieved not to have school in the way during most of Cavallone’s visit. He wondered if Reborn had planned it that way (probably). He looked through his mail, which included a small parcel. “Hey, my business cards have arrived.”

“You have business cards?” asked Kyoko.

“I do now.”

“Maa, you can’t meet another organisation without business cards,” added Takeshi.

Tsuna opened the box. The emblem on the cards was his own design: a ball of flame, enclosed in shapes that might be the wings of a skylark or the shells of a clam. It was printed in copper on a black background with the characters ‘Hidden Sky’ underneath. The back of the card was even simpler, an email address in black text on white.

As Tsuna was showing them to the others, Tsuyoshi stepped into the room, his hair wet from the shower. “Tsuna-sama. Apologies that I was not present to greet you. Takeshi, we’re having an extra training session tonight.” That was what Tsuyoshi had just been doing, Tsuna realised.

“Tsuyoshi-san, are you expecting trouble?”

“Maa, not from the Cavallone directly. The thing is, people talk.” And the more outsiders knew of Tsuna’s existence, the more likely that hitmen would be sent after him. Tsuna wanted to apologise for disrupting Namimori’s peace, but he held his tongue; he’d only get the puppy eyes again.

“Thank you for looking out for me, Tsuyoshi-san.”

“It’s my honor, Tsuna-sama.” Tsuyoshi smiled softly. “Kyoko-chan, have you given any thought to taking up a weapon?”

“I suppose I’ll have to, but I’m leaning towards something ranged,” said Kyoko. “If somebody means me harm I’d rather not have them in arm’s length.”

“Haha, that sounds sensible.” Tsuyoshi put on his apron and continued on to the restaurant kitchen.

“Actually I’m hoping Matteo-sensei will let me learn Chaos Shot. It looks like _fun._ ”

Tsuna giggled; he could already tell there was a strong Flame lurking under her polite exterior. He waved at his paperwork. “Do either of you mind if I …”

“Go ahead,” said Takeshi. “We’re going to work on Kyoko-chan’s assignment.” Her assignment from Reborn, that is; something to do with creating a cover story. “Maa, where were we? The Flame types are going to be character classes?”

“Right, and I thought, the Warring States period as the setting, with the Famiglias as factions ...”

Smiling, Tuna took out his writing kit and started drafting an announcement about the Cavallone’s visit.

***

Fon was ushered into his cousin’s office with great respect and little ceremony. Bailong, head of the Yunque Clan, preferred to treat his relatives thus, and Fon, too, enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere. As he had requested, all of Yunque’s leaders, who were also naturally Fon’s cousins, were waiting for him along with Bailong.

“Cousin Fon, be welcome,” the Clan Head greeted him. “Your pendant is gone; is that the urgent news you bring us? Ah, but come; let us have tea.”

Tea was duly passed around, amid inquiries about each other’s health. They sat in a loose circle of upholstered chairs; Fon in his infant body looked out of place among the silver-haired clan elders. “So,” said Bailong. “My man of business tells me that you are liquidating your personal assets, Cousin. Perhaps this has something to do with the absence of your pendant?”

“A related matter,” Fon admitted. “My primary news is this: I have found my Sky, as has my nephew Kyoya.”

The five clan elders sat up straight. “Truly?” said Bailong. “Then the Clan is doubly blessed.” There had not been a Guardian in their family in four generations. “Please, let us hear this tale.”

And a tale of wonder it would be. “Kyoya has bonded with the Vongola Heir; I have the honor to serve the Yin Tian.”

Cousin Hu dropped his teacup. “He actually exists?”

Bailong frowned. “This leaves the Yunque divided in its loyalties.”

“Less than you suppose, Cousin,” said Fon. “The following _must not_ leave the Clan; the two names I have spoken, in fact, belong to the same person.” He paused to let them absorb this fact. 

“May one conclude,” said Hu, “That Yin Tian is bassed in Namimori, Japan?”

“One may,” Fon answered.

“Were you able to discover what befell your apprentice?” They all remembered his rampage when I-pin had disappeared.

Fon let his smile widen. “She prospers, Cousin. She is fostered in Yin Tian’s own household, attends school and enjoys good health.” The cousins looked thunderstruck, and Fon had barely begun.

“So, you came there,” said Cousin Lau, trying to make a whole of Fon’s statements, “Found your apprentice cared for, your nephew a Guardian, and then … the cursed pendants?”

It was good to see that his family had more than wool between their ears. “Yin Tian stood before us Arcobaleno, and announced that his people had found a way to remove the curse. It was most effective.”

Bailong stroked his beard. “Thrice indebted … you vowed yourself to his service.”

“I did. My Master’s interpretation was … generous.” Even now Fon could feel the bright thread of Sky at his core. Across thousands of kilometres and expanses of ocean, it promised him rest and shelter. No matter where on Earth he travelled, he would _always_ know the way home.

The clan elders exchanged glances. “It seems the Yunque have a Sky,” said Bailong. “And a powerful one. What more can you tell us of him?”

Fon had long enjoyed the effects of keeping his serene mask while saying the most alarming things. “I have seen him negotiate with the Vindice, and step between two Clouds to stop them from fighting. He rules Namimori in his own right and is heir presumptive to the Vongola. He is bonded of nine Elements, including another Arcobaleno besides myself.” He paused, and dropped the next bombshell. “He is fifteen years of age.”

Stunned silence.

“By all the Gods,” said Cousin Lau. Fon kept his expression calm. He had seen more that he would not speak of. Tsunayoshi showing I-pin how to grind ink for calligraphy. Tottering along on a bicycle, despite his lingering clumsiness. Locked in solitary, silent battle with the seal that bound him, then falling asleep in his Guardians’ arms, trusting them with his safety.

Bailong, who had known Fon since their youth, saw that he knew more than he had said. “On the whole, it seems prudent, as well as honourable, to stand behind this Sky. Fon, if you will deliver it, I will convey my greetings to Lord Yin Tian in writing. The Vongola in one hand and the Yunque in the other – I can scarce imagine what he will undertake with such power.”

*** 

It was Tuesday, so Tsuna was feeding the snakes. He had quite a collection, now; the python got a frozen rat, carefully thawed by his Flames, while the others got fresh mice. This, too, was part of his training, because Reborn made him kill the mice himself, with a pinch to the neck. Tsuna didn’t like it, but he was getting used to it. Hayato followed at his elbow with a laptop, logging everything. When had his life gotten so complicated that he needed multiple spreadsheets to keep track of it?

He refilled the water dishes and made sure that the heaters had enough Flames, then cleaned the mouse cages. He was refilling their feeders with pellets when Reborn strolled in. The tiny tutor had donkey ears sticking out of his fedora; strung between them was a sign which read, _‘I pranked a Mist’_.

“What did you do to Kawahira-san?” asked Tsuna.

“I put drink mix in his shower faucet and turned his hair purple,” Reborn replied. “Unless you need me for anything, I’m going to go practice with the wheel.”

“You’re enjoying it, then?”

“It’s been decades since I fell on my ass this much,” Reborn said cheerfully. He had changed yet again since the curse was removed; Tsuna could sense the damage to his soul healing over. Eventually, in a decade or two, he and Kawahira might even be friends. 

“If you want Hayato to get those ears off you, you can just ask, you know.” After that little task was done, and Reborn had gone off to his exercise, Tsuna asked, “Is there anything else that needs doing today?”

Hayato consulted his laptop. “Snakes are fed … we confirmed that Cavallone’s flight and hotel are booked … warned Nana when to expect company for dinner. Nothing left that’s urgent, Decimo, and nothing scheduled but dinner.”

Oh, _really._ “Let’s take a blanket and sit under the magnolias for a bit.”

“Yes, Decimo!” It was too early for cherry blossoms, but the magnolias were in full bloom, and there was a large tree in Kokuyo Land’s courtyard. Hayato spread the blanket at its root and invited Tsuna to sit.

Tsuna had a different idea. “You first, Hayato. Sit against the trunk.” Once Hayato was in place, Tsuna sat between his thighs, leaning against his chest. Without being told, Hayato wrapped the ends of the blanket around them. “Do you like this?” asked Tsuna.

“Mm, yes, Decimo.” Hayato nuzzled his hair, and cautiously threaded his arms around his waist. Tsuna smiled and relaxed further into his Storm’s grasp.

He was nervous about the upcoming meeting with Cavallone. Reborn’s former student – several years older, and a full-fledged Don. How would Tsuna measure up? Would they even like each other? Having Hayato at his back made Tsuna feel better. Hayato was smart and strong and handsome and _his._ Tsuna could trust him with anything. Right now, all he wanted was to enjoy the warmth of Hayato’s body, the glow of his Flames. This was the best place to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, while writing: how do I make a sit-down meeting more interesting? Thus, acorns.
> 
> The Rei Gun is from [Yuyu Hakusho](http://fanfox.net/manga/yu_yu_hakusho/v03/c002/1.html#ipg16). The Cyr Wheel is a piece of acrobatic equipment - [some](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6M5pHE45YA) [videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKjLMVd4mj0) of it in action.
> 
> 24/05/2019 - minor edit made to Fon's scene.


	4. Chapter 4

Kyoko paused outside the shopping arcade, adjusted her scarf against the late winter wind, and checked that her list was in her handbag. “Thank you for coming along, Chrome.”

“I wish to visit the second-hand store,” Chrome said. She was enveloped in an improbably fuzzy hat and scarf that left only her eyes visible. Kyoko suspected that it was a Mist construct. She consulted her list; it was an assignment from Reborn-sensei, a scavenger hunt of sorts. She had to find prices for a random assortment of items, from a Doraemon keychain to five kilos of basmati rice.

“I suppose I’d better go up one side of the arcade and down the other.” Chrome didn’t reply, but kept pace with her rather than going directly to the second-hand store. Kyoko decided to be thorough and stroll through every store in turn, and in doing so she discovered a few quirks to her assignment that she hadn’t expected. For one thing, every store that sold soup bowls had a different price for them. When they reached the second-hand store, Kyoko took a moment to review her list while Chrome sorted through the teacups, looking for discarded treasures.

On their way back through the arcade they swapped gossip about their respective schools; Chrome was doing well at Midori Girls’ School, and the teachers there did not put up with the sort of bullying that went on at Nami-Chuu. They were just coming out of the Book-Off with a bag of manga when they crossed paths with Ryohei on his afternoon run.

“Little sis! Chrome-chan! I’m extremely glad to see you!”

“Hello, Ryohei-nii,” answered Kyoko; Chrome waved at him. He didn’t continue his run immediately though.

“Sis, please make sure you go straight home. I extremely heard that some dangerous people are going to be around town.”

“Eh? I haven’t seen anyone like that.” The Cavallone hadn’t arrived yet – and just _how_ did Ryohei know about that? Kyoko made a note to find out who Ryohei was hanging out with. “Anyway, I’m sure Hibari-san will take care of any suspicious people he finds.”

“I extremely want to keep you safe!”

“And I don’t want you to get yourself hurt, big brother. I promise I’ll be careful.” If they did run into trouble, Chrome could make them both invisible. Or she could use her phone to call some of the most dangerous people on the planet. Or she could _reach_ within herself … but that could wait for another day.

*** 

Dino looked out the window curiously as his limo drove through Namimori. He could tell a lot about a Famiglia by their city, and the first thing that surprised him was the number of Active Flames in the area. There were only so many Mafiosi a given territory could support – but of course, the rule in Namimori was to work civilian jobs, which would remove that limit on the population. Administration costs would be lower, and the increase in tributes would offset the lack of criminal activity. Not a bad setup. And to tie it all together – to keep that many volatile Flame users from ripping each other apart – there were Sky Flames on every corner. 

His limo drove past a park with a tree that glowed orange to his senses; a family was having a picnic beneath it, both parents Active and all their children latent. Dino was _so_ stealing that idea; God knew his men craved a taste of his Flames. Now he was even more curious about his fellow student; Reborn hadn’t told him anything, not even a mocking nickname. All he had was a date, a location, and a set of weird but specific instructions he knew better than to ignore. Why a sushi restaurant?

The limo pulled up to the curb and he climbed out, with Romario close behind him. He made sure his Flame was tucked in – no flaring on another Sky’s turf, that was just rude – and stepped into the restaurant. The place was busy, and recent improvements spoke of growing business. The man behind the counter had the bearing of a veteran; he caught Dino’s eye as he approached. “Don Cavallone. You are expected.”

Behind him there was a sudden quiet. Dino refrained from rolling his eyes; for all he knew, his tutor was waiting under a table to swat him for such unbecoming behaviour. “I was told I should check in here?”

“That’s correct. I shall inform Inten-sama that you have arrived.”

Dino gestured to Romario, who held out an envelope. “Here are the details of my entourage and accommodations.” Most of his men had gone ahead to secure their hotel, and thank God he wasn’t actually meeting his fellow student until tomorrow; it had been a long trip. The sushi chef accepted the paperwork with a bow.

“Would you care to sample some of our sushi? Boss’s compliments.”

It looked delicious; he would have to get some boxed up for his men as well. “I would be glad to.”

*** 

The papers were stacked high on Timoteo’s desk, but he paid them no mind. For once there was nothing urgent among them. The last of his sons, avenged; his heir, progressing in his training. He set pen to paper:

“Dear Tsunayoshi, I trust you have been well since your previous letter. I am in good, if slightly creaky health and am looking forward to summer’s warmth. To answer your question, we do have a few sakura trees here – in my grandfather’s time, it was fashionable to have an ‘Asian’ garden so he had some trees imported. My mother was fond of them.”

Timoteo paused, wondering what Daniella would have thought of Tsuna. Through the many letters they had exchanged, he had discovered a young man who was thoughtful, understanding and determined, as well as powerful. It was a bittersweet thought. His intent, in placing the Seal, had been to remove a rival to his remaining sons; now that it was too late to matter, he had seen his fears come true and become his hope for the future.

“Coyote has finally unbent enough to say that he approves of your handwriting. His opinion is that no one younger than thirty has any respect for traditional skills. Visconti continues to grumble about having you take over sooner. I have tasked him with overhauling security, which should let him vent some aggression.”

The transition couldn’t come soon enough for his Cloud, who would prefer to never again speak to anyone who was not, as he put it, a ‘man of honor.’

“After concluding the mission of avenging Federico, business continues as usual. By now it is common knowledge among the Vongola that you are my heir, which most welcome as a sign of stability. There are some fools who plan to take advantage of you; let me know if you want me to remove them, or leave them in place for you to amuse yourself with.”

Mafia lore was full of tales of attempts to manipulate a Sky that backfired spectacularly. Try to recruit a Sky by force, and they would have the Famiglia wrapped around their fingers; send them a spy as a Guardian candidate, and he would surely turn his coat once he harmonised. Why, he had met his own Schnitten through just such a scheme. 

Of course, the Mafia was also full of men who were certain that they were more cunning than their predecessors. And others who simply didn’t believe the stories. Even failed schemes could do damage; nor were Skies immune to error, as he well knew. That was why Skies needed a power base. Tsuna was wasting no time on that front; Timoteo didn’t know the details, but Lal Mirch had appeared at the Vongola Christmas Ball without her pacifier, and Tsuna’s next letter said that he had ‘helped’ the Arcobaleno with a ‘problem’.

“News of your existence is starting to circulate outside the Famiglia. Your location has not been released either internally or externally; still, I advise you to remain vigilant. Another rumor that is making the rounds is that the Arcobaleno have been freed from their curse by a person called Yin Tian. Nothing else is known about this person and speculation is rampant.”

Because of those rumors, he had had Iemitsu in his office, moaning about the danger to his ‘little Tsuna-fishie’ who ‘wasn’t ready for the Mafia life.’ Timoteo needed all of his experience at the poker table to keep a straight face. Lal, standing behind her boss, hadn’t bothered. Not only had Iemitsu not spoken to his son …

“It may interest you to know that CEDEF’s agents in Namimori report that no such person is operating in that area.” Which, _really._ Iemitsu had placed observers, but no guards; observers who had been reporting misinformation for who knew how long. It reflected poorly on Iemitsu’s competence as a spymaster, parent, and Sky. Timoteo made a note to enclose those agents’ dossiers with his letter.

“In closing, I wish you and your Guardians a good beginning to your new school year. I look forward to reading about your accomplishments. – With respect, Timoteo Vongola.”

*** 

Tsuna returned home on the next-to-last day of term, Hayato at his elbow, to find his front yard full of dark-suited gangsters. “Subtle,” Hayato growled. Tsuna could only agree. He knew they were going to meet Cavallone today – Tsuyoshi had notified them last night, right on schedule – but Tsuna had expected something more low-key.

As they stepped through the front gate, one of the suits said, “Halt! Only members of the Sawada household may enter!”

Tsuna gave him an exasperated look. “We _do_ live here. Don’t you have a list?”

“Let them in, Magnati,” Reborn called from the window. “Fluffy-Tsuna, come and meet your sempai.”

Every gangster in the yard turned to look at him – for an instant, then encountered the glare of his irate Storm and looked away again just as quickly. Tsuna gave Hayato a grateful smile. They put away their shoes and bags, and Tsuna greeted his mother, who didn’t seem bothered by the Mafiosi in the garden. Tsuna took a deep breath, and proceeded into the living room.

“Dino, this is my fluffy student, Tsunayoshi Sawada,” said Reborn. “Tsuna, this is my clumsy student, Constantino Cavallone.”

“ _Please_ call me Dino.” He held out his hand, and after a split-second’s hesitation, Tsuna shook it. Dino continued, “I apologise for my men, they’re a bit … enthusiastic.”

Tsuna had to smile at that. “Yours too, huh?”

“Ridiculous, isn’t it? But they’re so adorable I don’t have the heart to make them stop.” Dino’s Sky felt pleasant against his own, bright and shaded towards Sun. Tsuna was relieved they were going to get along. “Before I forget, this is Romario Tomasi, my Rain and Right Hand.” The older man, leaning on the wall behind him, nodded in greeting.

“Hayato here is my Storm and Right hand,” Tsuna responded. “And you already know my Sun.”

Dino looked back and forth between him and Reborn, and burst into whoops of delighted laughter. “Oh, you did _not._ ”

“I most certainly did,” Tsuna said with a grin. Dino waggled his finger at Reborn.

“It serves you right, you incorrigible troll! Seriously, though, I’m happy for you both.”

That naturally led into trading stories about Reborn’s chaotic training methods. “…Did he give you the Talk, too?

“Oh God. With the pictures?”

“Uh-huh. And don’t get me started on the snakes.”

“Spiders, in my case.” Dino shuddered dramatically. “How are you coping?”

“I’ve had good results with pointing him at other people,” Tsuna said lightly. Dino made a horrified face.

“I’m starting to see why you harmonised with him. And I’m very glad I’m on your side.”

Reborn tilted his hat over his eyes. “Do you think that will protect you, Clumsy-Dino?”

Nana served them a wonderful dinner, telling them how happy she was that her ‘Dame-Tsuna’ had so many friends. Dino graciously ignored that; he complimented her cooking and Hayato’s coffee afterward.

“Lucky,” he said about Tsuna’s full complement of Guardians. “I’ve only found four – and Clouds are so rare.”

“Not around here, they aren’t,” Hayato grumbled. Tsuna explained,

“While Skull is in town, we have three of them. It’s been … interesting.”

“I’ll bet it was,” said Dino. “Wait, Skull? Like Skull DuMort, the Immortal Stuntman?”

“Yeah, why? Are you a fan?” 

Romario suppressed a laugh; Dino’s face lit up. “Are you kidding me? He’s the greatest stuntman I’ve ever _seen_! Like the time he jumped his motorbike over five moving busses …”

Tsuna grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Skull: [ Got one of your fans here if you feel like being gushed at.] He didn’t know if the Cloud would take it as an invitation or a warning. Tsuna, Dino and Reborn were deep in a conversation about casino operation, with Romario and Hayato contributing the odd comment, when the roar of a motorcycle was heard outside. This was followed by the sounds of a scuffle as Skull went around, over and under Dino’s minions to the door. He strutted into Tsuna’s living room, dusting off his hands. “So, you say you’re a fan of the Great Skull-sama?”

“Dio mio!” Dino almost squealed. “I’ve been trying to book your show at one of my venues for ages! Your agent keeps giving me the run-around.”

Skull laughed. “He’s my trusty non-communications specialist. The Great Skull-sama performs only where he chooses!” And only a Cloud would think of hiring a non-booking agent.

Dino laid his hand on his forehead in mock despair. “Alas, I must dream on! Do you still do that stunt with the rotating flaming hoops? I’ve never been able to see it in person.”

By the end of the evening, Tsuna and Dino were calling each other brother, Reborn hadn’t shot anyone, and Skull had accepted Dino’s invitation to drinks at the hotel bar. That went well, Tsuna thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild horse has appeared!


	5. Chapter 5

Hayato dropped his school bag in his room with relief. The last day of term was a half day, and consisted of a kanji test; Hayato’s worst subject, and Tsuna-sama’s best one. Now that that was over with, they were back at home to get changed before meeting Cavallone again.

Best not to have anymore distractions; the visit was much more stressful than Hayato expected. Oh, Tsuna-sama and Dino were getting along just fine – it just _chafed_ to see anyone Flame Active act like he was Tsuna-sama’s equal. Rationally, he knew that they _were_ equals, but in his soul he would never believe it. Not even another Sky could measure up to Tsuna-sama!

“Hayato,” called Tsuna-sama from the next room, “Come and help me put on my suit.” Hayato scrambled to obey.

“A suit’s not that complicated, Fluffy-Tsuna,” Reborn was saying. “You could put it on by yourself.”

“Sure I could, but where’s the fun in that?” Tsuna-sama was standing in the center of his room _in his underwear_. Oh God. Reborn smirked knowingly. 

“I’ll give you two some privacy, then.” He slipped out and closed the door behind him. This was actually happening.

“Bring me my shirt, Hayato,” said Tsuna-sama. Hayato blushed, and picked up the dress shirt. He held it while Tsuna-sama slid his arms into the sleeves, and then did up the buttons one by one. Since Tsuna-sama was so much shorter, doing this put Hayato on his knees – where he _belonged_ – and put the top of his head just where Tsuna-sama’s breath would ruffle his hair.

The little, personal tasks like this were Hayato’s joy in life. His Sky gave minimal instructions, trusting him to know what needed doing, and to do it correctly. That he allowed Hayato’s fingers on his skin was an added thrill. He held out the trousers for Tsuna-sama to step into, with a hand on Hayato’s shoulder for balance; he fastened the waistband, blushing, and settled the suspenders on Tsuna-sama’s shoulders.

“The tie,” Tsuna-sama murmured, and raised his chin. Hayato picked up the orange necktie, the same one he had picked out at the tailor’s, and looped it around his Sky’s neck. His fingers trembled as they brushed over Tsuna-sama’s veins, and felt his lifeblood pulsing under them. His _life_ … Hayato paused to gather his wits. Tsuna-sama looked up at him with understanding and resolve; it was his will to grant Hayato this. And Hayato could only strive to be worthy of it.

Silent, he held the jacket open for Tsuna-sama to put on, then knelt again to button it. Task complete, he ducked his head and pressed into Tsuna-sama’s side. His Sky, his marvellous Sky, no other could possibly compare. Tsuna-sama trailed his fingers through Hayato’s hair. “Good work, Hayato. You need to get changed too, right?”

True – he was still in his school uniform … and Tsuna-sama liked to see him in a suit. An audacious idea struck him. “Would … would you care to watch, Decimo?”

Tsuna-sama graced him with a smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

***

His shop was his shelter and hiding place; he was an antiquity among antiquities. Here he could remember what should be remembered, and forget what he needed to forget. The beads on the abacus clattered as he balanced his accounts. He had less to forget, now; both less to hide, and more. (He liked the hiding; it came naturally to him.)

He was born in a village by the Indus river, amid the ruins of his people’s civilization. He had lived three thousand years and might well live three thousand more. He had seen many skies, but the one here was his. A human. Sometimes he thought he heard laughter; sometimes it was his own. Sometimes, he wondered if she foresaw this. But after keeping underground for so long, he had found his way to this tiny, enormous sky, and he was learning. Learning to be free. He could drift with the clouds and play with the sun. The donkey ears turned out especially well, and the banana peels that only existed for him, and …

The bell over the door jingled, and a little wisp of Mist wandered in. He set his papers aside. “Hello, Chrome-chan. Have you a question about our last lesson?”

She shook her head, and held out a box. Within was a story waiting to be told. “Could you help me research this?”

“Certainly.” They were alike; she was a comfort to him, and perhaps he was a comfort to her. His accounting would wait for him. “May I see?”

She placed it in his hands, delicate and old. “A wonderful piece,” he said. He considered the shelves where knowledge lay bound. “I believe _‘Ceramics of the Meiji Era’_ is a good place to begin. And I shall put the kettle on.”

*** 

Fon was not often kept waiting. It was a transparent power play, and a pointless one; he had patience enough, and thoughts to occupy him, to outlast any who would try such a tactic on him. The Boss of the Jade Triad was unfortunately such a person.

While he waited, Fon contemplated the training that Tsunayoshi had commanded him to provide. Tai Chi for his Master, he thought; an art of precision and control, hiding devastating power. His Lightning, Haru, suited Kempo – Crane-style, perhaps, or Goju-Ryu. I-pin would continue with Gyoza-ken, of course, and he would offer it to Hayato as a supplement to his bombs. Hana – there was a puzzle. Her territory was womanhood, so the naginata or tessen? Though Fon was tempted to give her an expanding staff, as wielded by the Monkey King.

“The Iron Boar will see you now,” said one of the Triad guards, and Fon opened his eyes and strolled into the Boss’s office. Iron Boar Chang was the youngest of the Triad Bosses on Fon’s list, just under forty years old, and could never _quite_ forget that Fon had once baby-sat him. That, too, had been an amusing power play; Chang was following in his father’s footsteps.

He was flanked by his Right Hand on one side and his eldest son on the other, all alert for the smallest movement that could be taken as a slight. Fon never did such a thing; he stopped at a precise distance in front of Chang’s desk and bowed. “Greetings, Iron Boar of the Jade Triad.”

“Eye of the Storm,” Chang acknowledged. “I see that the rumors are true; you are no longer cursed.”

“It is so, Iron Boar,” Fon said with another bow. “I have further, related news.”

“You may continue,” Chang said with a wave of his hand, displaying a glittering array of rings. Fon said,

“I have the honor to be harmonised to the Yin Tian, Sky of Namimori. He permits me to continue in the role of Triad enforcer, and sends a letter of greeting to the leaders of the Triads.”

Chang’s face showed incredulity and a quickly concealed sneer. “You have been neutral for so long, Eye of the Storm, yet a Sky crosses your path and you’re so quick to bend under his heel? What else will you offer him – Your apprentice? Your sister’s first born?”

“He already has those.” Fon held his temper by a thread. There had been no Skies in the Triads in Chang’s lifetime; he had never _met_ one, and did not understand why a Sky should receive more esteem than himself. Fon took a calming breath, and imagined for a moment how it would feel to have Tsunayoshi’s heel pressed to his back.

Chang’s expression was surprised, then turned calculating. “So, it’s blackmail? I can – ” Fon’s Flame spiked without conscious input. One more _word_ and he would erase Chang’s ignorance from the planet. Chang’s Right Hand went pale; he knew how close his Boss was to deadly insult. He cautiously cleared his throat.

“May we see the letter from the Honorable Sky?”

“You may.” Fon held out the letter; the Right Hand took it and returned to his seat before unfolding it. Fon had presented copies of this same letter, with minor variations, to all of the Triad leaders he had contact with. He had helped with the Chinese grammar, but the wording and handwriting were Tsunayoshi’s own. Simple greetings, an assurance of neutrality in Triad affairs, support of Fon’s judgement in that area. The ink was laced with Sky; Chang reached for the letter, and snatched his hand back when he touched it.

“What the hell is that?” 

“Sky Flames,” his Right Hand said wonderingly. A dozen expressions crossed Chang’s face as he read the message. “Elegant words, I’m sure,” he said. “But strength is what counts in our world.”

“Then bow before my Sky, Iron Boar, for he is stronger than any of us.” Fon’s temper had settled to a simmer under his serene exterior. Chang would learn – or he would _die_ , and serve as a lesson to others. If he had any sense, he would listen to his Right Hand’s advice; Fon would not stand his ignorance a second time.

Chang did have some measure of awareness; he bit his tongue on any further comments, and said, “Thank you for bringing this news, Eye of the Storm.” Fon bowed and made his exit. As the door swung closed, he heard the yelling start: “Just what do you think you were doing back there?”

“Saving your miserable life, you idiot!”

He collected Lichi from the chandelier and continued out to the street. His next stop was the airport, and a flight back to Japan. As fond as he was of the triads – even the boors like Chang – he longed to bow at his Master’s feet once more.

*** 

Tsuna was halfway up the path to Kokuyo Land, stretching his legs to keep up with Dino’s longer stride, when the older Sky abruptly face-planted in the dirt. “Dino-nii! Are you okay?”

Dino sat up and grinned sheepishly. “See, this is why Reborn had me learn the whip instead of anything pointy. I’m fine when my men are around, but …” They had gone around a bend in the path and momentarily broken line of sight to Dino’s minions, who were being guided by Hayato and Haru. 

“Has to be psychosomatic,” Romario muttered as he caught up to them.

“I wonder if clumsiness is a thing with Skies,” said Tsuna. “I’m pretty bad after I overuse my Flames, but I’m hoping I’ll grow out of that.” Soon after that, they came to the mall courtyard, with its overgrown trees and boarded-up storefronts. “And here we are, our secret base.”

“Uh, no offense, bro …”

Tsuna giggled. “It’s nicer on the inside. Come on.” He showed Dino around the café, the vivarium, and the bathhouse. “And this is our training hall.” He opened the door cautiously, since he could sense Reborn’s Flame within.

“Wheeee!” The Cyr wheel twirled across the floor on edge, like a coin, with Reborn braced head-downward inside it. Above him, Hibari perched on an exposed beam, tracking his movements avidly. Reborn collided with the wall and fell out of the wheel, rolling smoothly to his feet. “I meant to do that. You have something to say, Clumsy-Dino?”

Dino gaped at the sight of Reborn in adult form, without his hat, wearing close-fitting exercise wear. (Black, with yellow piping, of course.) “Uh. You clean up nice.”

“That’s only natural,” said Reborn. “Don’t you agree, Kyoya-kun?”

Hibari made a noise that was half growl, half purr. Tsuna suddenly had a horrible, terrifying flash of intuition. Reborn touched his bracelet and returned to infant form. “Are my two students ready to face off?”

*** 

They went out to the amphitheatre so that they would have room to move. Tsuna was a little worried about messing up his suit the first time he wore it, but – _flying._ He hadn’t had much chance to practice it, and no one to practice _with._ Dino was looking at the grove of bamboo at one side of the arena. “Bro, did you ever watch _Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon_?”

Tsuna hadn’t, but Haru had, and ‘bamboo-top fight scene’ was in her book of techniques. Tsuna drew on his Flames and floated up to ‘stand’ on one of the stalks. “Like this?”

Haru gave him a thumbs-up. Dino grinned and rose up to join him. He uncoiled his whip. “Ready when you are, Bro!”

Tsuna faced Dino and judged the distance between them. “Call it, sensei.”

Reborn drew his gun, paused, and fired a single shot into the ground. Tsuna leaped up and forward, aiming to get inside the whip’s reach. He figured that the fast-moving tip was more dangerous than the part near the handle; he was not expecting how much control Dino had, looping the whip back on itself with a flick of his wrist. On the other hand, Dino knew how to handle a bare-handed fighter, but not one that could come at him from literally any angle. Tsuna vaulted over the whip and came in behind it to tap Dino’s shoulder, then slithered away when Dino tried to wrap the lash around his arm. Dino had the advantage in combat experience, but Tsuna had Hyper Intuition.

His awareness expanded and narrowed at the same time. He could sense the Flames all around him; all his Elements and Dino’s men; Skull sitting on a tree branch, watching them; all the little Flames in mechanisms around the base. Dino’s whip seemed to hang in the air beside him, its movements as clear and predictable to him as a brush across paper.

He _danced_ with the whip, staying in the wake of its movement, and sliding around it when it changed direction. Dino didn’t make it easy for him; constantly moving, both his whip and himself, blocking Tsuna’s touches with his free hand and the whip handle. Neither of them was hitting very hard, but even getting that far was a challenge.

Tsuna had an idea, one he really should have thought of earlier. He dropped down into the bamboo, then grabbed Dino’s ankles and pulled him in, too. “Foul!” Dino yelled. The bamboo stalks got in the way of his weapon, while Tsuna could move between them easily. Their entire battle changed its axis, with Dino trying to force Tsuna back up into open air, and Tsuna preferring to stay inside the grove. Tsuna had just dived into the canopy for the third time when a tremendous roar split the air.

Dino lowered his whip. “Enzo!”

Tsuna popped up to look. An enormous turtle loomed over Kokuyo land, bellowing at the sky. “Since when is my life a Gamera movie?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Hibari/Reborn. Be afraid, be very afraid ...


	6. Chapter 6

Hayato was having an excellent day. First he’d had the honor of putting his hands all over Tsuna-sama. Then he watched Tsuna-sama spar with another Sky while wearing a _very_ flattering suit. And now, Kaiju! “Please tell me you have this on video,” he hissed at Reborn. The tutor just smirked and held up a Leon-camera.

Tsuna-sama and Dino drifted to the ground as they studied the creature. “That’s your pet turtle?” Tsuna-sama asked.

“Yes; he grows like that when he gets wet.” Oh no, the bathhouse! They had put so much work into fixing it up … no, wait, Enzo was in the wrong direction for that; he must have fallen in the creek.

“Did Sensei give him to you?”

“How did you guess?” Dino winced as Enzo crashed through the trees. “We should probably get him away from anything important.”

Hayato considered the problem. He _could_ bomb the giant turtle, but that would just make it angry – and Dino as well. His Storm Flames weren’t useful for the same reason; they needed to calm the animal without harming it. “Baseball idiot, this one’s yours.”

Takeshi looked to Tsuna-sama, who nodded approval, and sauntered off with a wave. “Leave it to me, Boss!”

“Good idea – Romario, go with him,” added Dino. Then Tsuna-sama called out,

“Skull, do you feel like joining in? We want to get Enzo to the gravel pit.”

“Bwahaha! The Great Skull-sama versus Gamera! This will be a show to remember!” With a burst of Cloud to multiply his speed, Skull dashed away towards Enzo. A minute after that, there was a cry of, “Oodako, go!” and then a giant octopus was grappling the giant turtle.

“How is that helpful?” grumbled Hayato.

“Wait for it,” Tsuna-sama told him. They slowly left the arena; Tsuna-sama was steadier on his feet than he would have been a year ago, though Hayato still stayed close by his side. Sure enough, the octopus, under Skull’s direction, slowly led Enzo into the gravel pit. No need to worry about destroying things _here_ ; Hayato, Lambo and I-pin already used it as a bomb range. He didn’t want the huge animals getting too close to Tsuna-sama, but on the other hand, how often would he get to see a real live kaiju battle? Next to them, Dino was bouncing on his toes and all but squealing at the private show from his favourite stuntman.

The two Rains cam up behind Enzo and spread their Flames over him. The turtle slumped to the ground, asleep. “What now?” asked Takeshi.

“Usually, just wait for him to dry out,” said Romario. “Tickling under his chin also helps.” At a command from Skull, Oodako did just that. Enzo spit out a jet of water and got smaller. That was _not_ normal animal physiology. Now that Enzo was small enough not to be a danger to his Sky, Hayato relaxed a bit and noticed that Tsuna-sama had snuggled into his side. It was a very good day.

A few minutes later and both the turtle and the octopus were back to their usual sizes. Skull lifted Enzo over his head and ran around the muddy gravel pit doing a victory dance. “The Immortal Skull-sama saves the day!”

Dino laughed with delight. Tsuna-sama pretended to be exasperated, but Hayato could tell he thought it was funny too. “Come on, let’s get some coffee.”

*** 

Tsuna enjoyed watching Hayato make coffee. He had a slight scowl of concentration that brought out the lines of his face, and he handled the tools with casual precision. Tsuna was getting a little spoiled; even the fancy blends from the espresso machine at home didn’t taste as good as Hayato’s home-brew.

Dino was sitting across from Tsuna, with the two Arcobaleno sprawled across the table between them. “I really am sorry about Enzo,” Dino said. “I’ll send some men to clean up after him. Good match, though.”

“Yeah. I even managed not to ruin my suit.” To his surprise, once he tried it, Tsuna had enjoyed sparring. A serious fight might be different, though.

“I had you wear the suit for a reason, Fluffy-Tsuna,” Reborn said without lifting his head. 

Dino rolled his eyes at the all-too-familiar teaching strategy. “What, not to let concern for possessions get in the way of protecting yourself?”

“If that’s the case, I’m surprised you didn’t paint-bomb us to make the point,” Tsuna added. 

Dino made a horrified face. “Don’t give him ideas!”

“That would be insulting to Signore Santori’s work,” Reborn said. “A good suit deserves respect.”

“Hypocrite,” Skull muttered, and lazily smacked Reborn’s shoulder.

“What does that say about my wardrobe?” Dino asked. Tsuna guessed he’d had many suits ruined at Reborn’s hands. “Anyway. Skull-sama, you were amazing today. Have I got a chance in hell of booking your show?”

Skull rolled over to look at him. “You just want the stunt show, right? Not an Arcobaleno to fight your gang wars?”

“What? Nah,” Dino waved a hand dismissively. “The Cavallone are making bank on the territory we have. The last Don got into gang wars, and look what a mess that turned into.” 

“It’s not like you’d want the Lackey in a battle,” said Reborn. “He flubs every job he takes.”

“They deserve it for trying to take advantage of the Great Skull-sama!” Skull announced. Reborn stared at him, surprised. Tsuna wasn’t sure why; it sounded like normal Cloudy behaviour to him. If Skull’s territory was his celebrity status, then of course he would punish those who disrespected that – by wasting their money and resources on failed missions. 

Dino also grinned in appreciation. “Ooh, right in the wallet, nice! No worries about that with me; I just want those sweet, sweet ticket sales.” 

Hayato brought the finished coffee to the table; Tsuna sniffed his cup. “Thank you, Hayato, this smells heavenly.”

“Only the best for you, Decimo.”

Dino sipped his coffee. “This is amazing. You’ve got some talented people, Bro.” Hayato turned red, and Tsuna smiled; his Storm more than deserved every compliment he got. Dino continued, “Seriously, if you two weren’t harmonised, I’d try to hire him.”

Tsuna was starting to see how Dino had pulled his family out of bankruptcy. “Hands off, Dino-nii. And remind me never to play poker with you, unless it’s Vongola rules.”

“How do you play that?”

Tsuna had no idea. “I’ll tell you once I’ve made it up.”

Dino laughed. “You and Reborn are perfect for each other.” He took another sip from his cup. “I’d never guess you were civilian-raised.”

And the civilian world didn’t want him; they bullied him, demanded he conform to their standards and sneered at him when he failed. The Mafiosi had welcomed him, honoured him even, and offered protection and friendship. “Now that I’m getting used to it, I think I prefer the Floating World.”

“The what?”

Right, that was only an expression in Japan. “You know – hookers and conmen, outcasts and smugglers, gambling and show business.”

“Sounds like my kind of place.” Dino raised his coffee cup in a toast.

*** 

“Voi! What do you mean, it’s not for sale?” Squalo is about ready to strangle his fellow officer. “You’re the world’s best information broker, you don’t just decide not to sell information!”

“Mu. If you do not stop making redundant statements, I shall fine you.”

“Fuck you!” Squalo doesn’t know how he puts up with this. (Booze. Booze and profanity.) “This Yin Tian guy has all of Asia in an uproar, nobody knows jack shit about him, and you’re refusing to sell information!” Mammon can source paparazzi photos of the _fucking Vindice_ , there’s no way they don’t have anything on the mystery Sky. “Voi, that guy could be a threat to our operations, especially when the Boss is still on ice!” Not that any of them can forget that, with a spike of ice through their hearts where blazing fire should be.

“I may have a lead on the latter issue,” says Mammon.

“Let me fucking guess,” says Squalo, “It’s the people who got rid of your pacifier. Who are the same fucking people you refuse to talk about!”

“Mu. A lead is a lead. I can see this will take some persuasion. In the meantime, you might get off your ass and start planning an extraction for the Boss.”

“Fuck your persuasion!” Squalo _is_ going to make a plan to get his Boss out of the Iron Fort’s cellar, though, because he’s not Stupid. He glares at Mammon’s partner, who is rolling around on the floor. “Voi, what the fuck are you laughing at, Prince brat?”

“Ushishishishishishishi …”

*** 

Kyoko could barely sit still as she took in all the details of the Momokyokai gambling house. Her parents would have a fit if they knew about this, even though she was with the whole Cake Appreciation Club as well as Moko-san and her waitress friend Sarindar.

“Thank you for inviting us,” she said as they all settled into a private booth.

“Hey, no problem – like I’ve said before, girls in the business have to stick together.” The booth that Moko-san had picked for them was on the upper level, with a window looking out on the prize-fighting ring. Apart from that, it could have been an ordinary izakaya. They ordered several plates of fried food and, of course, cake. There was also a page in the menu listing various kinds of cards, dice and board games.

“Hahi, you make it sound so rough,” said Haru.

Hana snorted. “Rough? Some of these monkeys would fight to the death over the last cookie.”

“Sometimes they do,” said Moko-san. “Remember, the people who come to Namimori are the ones who _want_ to live peacefully.”

Kyoko shifted in her seat. She thought about renting a set of Jenga blocks just to have something to do with her hands. How was she going to get through a day of school? “We’re lucky to have the Boss looking out for us.”

“Boss is awesome!” Haru agreed cheerfully. “And guess who else has got a crush!” She nudged Chrome, who blushed.

“I don’t want to be a bother about it.”

Below in the fighting pit, two men were duelling with bo staffs. “Let me get this straight,” said Hana, “Both of you have a crush on Tsuna-kun? Even though he’s got a thing going on with his puppy-dog?”

“I don’t mind sharing,” said Haru. “Maybe if we convince Hayato, we can do the Tenchi solution!”

Moko-san choked on her tea. Kyoko said, “You’re a pervert, Haru.”

“The choice is Boss’s,” said Chrome, which wasn’t a rejection of the idea.

“Moko-san, have you ever seen that done?”

“Well, there was this one time …”

When the fight below concluded, the contenders cleared the ring and the PA system announced the next match: _“Takuya the Condor against Sasagawa Ryohei.”_

The girls paused in their conversation. They looked at the fighting pit, and then at Kyoko. Her brows bent down. “Excuse me, please. I have some family business to take care of.”

She stepped out of the booth and down the stairs. By the time she found the doors to the pit, Ryohei’s match was under way. The staff wouldn’t let her interrupt, of course, so she waited with clenched teeth until Ryohei sent his opponent into the wall and was declared the victor. He raised his arms above his head and yelled, “Extreme!”

“Ryohei-nii.” Kyoko marched up to him and grabbed him by the ear. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

“Little sis?” His surprise would have been funny if she wasn’t ready to tear her hair out. 

“You _promised,_ Royhei-nii.” She pulled him towards the doors. “You promised to stop looking for fights. And I find you doing _this._ All that Sun Flame must have baked the _brains_ out of your _head._ ”

“Uh, miss?” said the pit manager. “Aren’t you also …?” Kyoko looked down at herself and saw that she was coated with yellow Flames.

“Look what you made me do.” Making her Flames keep still was a lost cause, but she got them to form an even halo around her. “Really, Ryohei. You don’t even have an assistant or a corner man. Who would look after you if you got really hurt? Who would notify your family? Manager-san!”

“Yes, miss?”

“Ryohei-nii is no longer allowed to fight here without my permission, understood?” She glared, daring the pit manager to object; he gulped.

“Yes, miss. May I have your name and affiliation for our records?”

“Sawagawa Kyoko, Cake Appreciation Club.” She looked at Ryohei, who she was still holding by the ear. “Do you understand me, Brother?”

“Little sis, you shouldn’t get involved in this – it’s too dangerous.”

That was rich, coming from him. “Then I’ll just have to _be dangerous too._ Ugh, _boys._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Busted!
> 
> Haru ships All/27. Dino and Skull find more points they have in common.
> 
> Squalo sensibly doesn't want a total unknown anywhere near his Sky. He really should listen to his information broker though ...


	7. Chapter 7

Carlos awoke to the unmistakeable feeling of a gun pressed to the back of his head. When he agreed to spy for CEDEF, posing as an English teacher, he had known it might come to this; when he decided to report false information, he had known he would eventually be found out.

“Who do you serve?” The voice was quiet and without inflection, giving no hints which answer the speaker wanted. Carlos took a breath to calm himself. If this was the end of the line, he was going to die with some dignity and stand by his decisions.

“I serve Inten-sama.”

The gun shifted; there was a deafening crack, and something wet trickled down his skull. There was no pain … wait, no pain? It occurred to him that he was still conscious and breathing. Cautiously, he raised a hand to the back of his head and found – a raw egg. Bits of the shell were stuck to his hair and the yolk was sliding down his neck. There was a new hole in his wall, and also, he was a bit damp around the hips.

He rolled over to look at the hitman. In the dark room, all he could see was a tall, lean figure, the outline of a fedora and suit. “Get yourself cleaned up. We’re going to have a little talk about what exactly you’ve told to who. I brought coffee.” 

*** 

Tsuna sat sideways in the corner of the booth, a purring Hayato draped across his lap. Across from them, Takeshi and Haru were playing cards with Kyoko, who was sipping a glass of soda, while Chrome was covertly ogling Tsuna. The table was scattered with a variety of empty dishes. 

Kyoko had invited them all out before the new school year began – to the gambling hall, of all places. Tsuna had intended to leave the Momokyokai until later, but it was fun to visit his people incognito. Meeting Dino had been enjoyable, but tiring; he was glad to be back to – he couldn’t call it _normal_ – a routine, at least. 

“I fold,” Kyoko announced. “Does anyone want to order more food?”

“I’m good,” Tsuna said. “Hayato?”

“M’good, Decimo,” Hayato mumbled. “M’sooo good …” Tsuna had spent the last half hour running his fingers through Hayato’s hair, behind his ears and, covertly, under his shirt.

Nobody else was still hungry, so Kyoko stuck her head out into the hall to call for the bill. “Last hand? Maa, I’ll go all in, then,” said Takeshi, and pushed his chips into the center. The others did the same. While they finished their game, Tsuna took out one of _his_ cards – the new business cards – and hid it under one of the dishes. He felt like he was playing a prank; all of the staff were paying more attention to Kyoko than to him.

“I hope you and your guests had a pleasant evening, Sasagawa-san,” the cashier said as Kyoko paid the bill.

“Earned some street cred, have you?” asked Hayato as they left the building.

“I may have made a bit of a scene,” she said airily. They were half a block away when an excited squeal rang out from the gambling hall; someone had found Tsuna’s card. Laughing, they ducked around a corner before anyone could spot them.

*** 

Fon was home. He emerged from the now familiar forest path into the base’s courtyard, awash with warming Sky Flames. He might make his bed in his sister’s house – to her delight – but _this_ was where his new life had begun, and where his Master’s Flames infused the very ground. The first thing he saw was I-pin – two of her, in fact, one in a red tunic and the other in indigo. They were jumping a long rope being turned by Haru and Takeshi. “Shifu!” Red I-pin bounded over to him, her Mist double just a step behind her.

“Have you been well, I-pin?” he asked.

“Oh yes! I’ve been helping Chrome with her illusions.”

“I can see that.” The copy was quite good, though a hint of Chrome’s own mannerisms showed through. 

“Big brother is in the library, are you going to see him?”

“Of course.” Fon didn’t need I-pin’s directions to find his Master; Tsunayoshi’s Flame pulled at him like a magnet. He was not expecting the spike of emotion that pierced him when he laid eyes on his Sky again. His Sky. Who held Fon’s life, and his family, so gently in his hands. Fon had spent weeks spreading tales of him across Asia, but mere words could not express the reality.

He was at calligraphy practice, his face still with concentration as his brush formed the characters. At the desk across from him, Hayato frowned with equal concentration at a laptop. Tsunayoshi’s Flame filled the room without spilling beyond it; the force of it could have crushed anyone who entered his presence. Instead, he looked up at Fon and smiled.

Fon was _undone_. He cast himself on the floor at his Master’s feet and awaited his command.

“Welcome home, Fon.” Tsunayoshi rose from his seat and lifted Fon into his arms.

“Master, one is joyful to be at your side once more.”

Tsunayoshi set him down on a cushion. “Wait there a moment while I clean up.”

Hayato had also put away his work. “There’s tea if you want some.”

“One would be grateful.” Fon watched, contented, while Tsunayoshi washed his brushes and ink stone, and put his workspace in order. Hayato brought him a teacup and refilled his own.

“There we go,” said Tsuna as he sat down beside Fon. “Did you have a successful trip?”

“Yes, Master. One bears responses to your letters, as well as papers relating to tributes paid to you.” In pride of place was the deed to Kokuyo Land; its purchase had required collaboration with Reborn and Viper as well as the larger part of Fon’s liquid assets. Tsunayoshi, however, waved the documents aside.

“Let’s see this tattoo of yours.”

Fon touched his bracelet to shift to adult form; then he turned so his back was facing his Master, unbuttoned his top, and let it slide off his shoulders. Tsuna’s fingers traced the characters inked into his skin, warm against the cool air. They were his truth: he belonged to his Sky, body and soul. Tsunayoshi seized his shoulders in a fierce embrace. “ _Mine._ ”

*** 

The five of them were all in the same class again. Kyoko made sure to sit next to Takeshi so he could keep her calm if needed; she wanted to jump out of her seat already, though going for a run at lunch helped. Hana sat behind Takeshi, in the back corner, for similar reasons. Tsuna sat in the middle of their little cluster, next to Hana, with Hayato on his other side. Hayato kept the seat in front of him open by glaring at anyone who tried to sit there. 

Now that Kyoko could sense his Flame, she knew why his Guardians were so protective of him. Even veiled, she could feel it at her back, a focus to steady herself on.

The first class after lunch was English. Instead of a teacher, though, the principal was standing at the front of the class. “Our usual English teacher has had a sudden family emergency and is taking leave. We have hired a substitute to continue classes in his absence. Allow me to introduce Rando McAlias.”

The substitute English teacher was short. Short enough to stand on the desk. Wait – that was Reborn. His current costume was full Scottish formal dress, including a kilt and _hopefully_ including underwear. “Ciaossu, my cute students! We’re going to have so much fun together!”

Behind her, Tsuna made an exasperated noise. Kyoko bounced a little in her seat. At least this school year wouldn’t be _boring._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world is not ready for Reborn in a kilt. ^^
> 
> That's a wrap for part 4. The draft for Part 5 is ... _not_ done yet, even though I started writing before I started posting this one. And that's not because of writer's block ... ~_^ As usual, I'll be posting other material for several weeks in between. Until then, ciao!


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